After taking a few extra seconds to watch his 463-foot home run Sunday, Javier Baez and his Cubs teammates will get a few extra hours this week to recuperate for an eventful home stretch.

Baez's three-run homer in the eighth gave the Cubs some timely comfort in a 7-2 win over the Diamondbacks before their annual "American Legion" homestand in which manager Joe Maddon encourages his players to just "show up and play."

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After navigating through a 3-3 West Coast trip — during which they actually expanded their lead in the National League Central to one game despite the loss of standout catcher Willson Contreras midway through the trip — the Cubs (61-55) will have the luxury of reporting to the clubhouse later than usual for their seven-game homestand starting Monday night against the Reds.

With the completion of play against the NL West, the Cubs won't have to travel west of St. Louis for their final 46 games. And no remaining opponent has a better record than the Diamondbacks (65-52).

"I don't look at breaks in the schedule," Maddon said. "I don't believe in that stuff. I always prefer us playing better teams. That normally brings out the best in us. There's always a trap in those thoughts."

Kris Bryant arguably is the most deserving of the rest. Despite a swollen left pinkie, Bryant reached base in 13 of 15 plate appearances during the three games against the Diamondbacks and crushed a home run in his final at-bat. It was his 21st homer and his first since July 30.

"Maybe sleeping an extra hour or slowing it down a bit, especially this time of year, could help a lot," said Bryant, who is batting .462 (18-for-39) during a 10-game hitting streak, his second-longest this season. "Especially where we're at as a team, to sit back and breathe a little bit and relax.

"The All-Star break was great, and we came out well after it. I don't know if it will have the same effect, but there's something to be said about resting more and easing your mind."

Jake Arrieta continued his surge with six innings of three-hit ball despite minuscule run support. Arrieta (12-8) has a 2.10 ERA in his last eight starts.

Perhaps no player's performance mirrored the Cubs' fortunes during this jaunt more than Baez, who is handling shortstop duties in place of injured Addison Russell. Baez hit an inside-the-park homer Aug. 7 in San Francisco, only to commit costly errors in losses Tuesday and Saturday.